Breeding For Kicks...

IrishSetterGrl

what do you think of it? If someone you knew well enough was planning to unprofessionally and irresponsibly breed his/her dogs, would you try to persuade them not to? Would you see any issue with receiving one of the pups?

Yup, sure do.  My old best friend was planning to breed her husky-somethingorother bitch to some other husky-somethingorother that was owned by a coworker of her boyfriend.  She knows I'm a dog lover and I think when she told me she was going to breed her dog she expected me to gush,"Ohhhhhhh can I have one Plllleeeeeease!"  It didn't happen.  She looked downright shocked when I gasped and said,"Why the heck would you want to breed one mutt to another mutt when you can't even be bothered to walk the one you have?"  She launched into some explanation about how she loved her dog and wanted a pup just like her but braver, and her dog was timid and having puppies would make her brave and yada yada yada...  She was less than pleased when I told her I thought she might be well off to look into canine genetics before persuing that idea.  She then tried to tell me that you can't adopt dogs around here anymore cause the HS moved to Kenora....Uh....I just looked at her and told her she had no business breeding if she was that clueless....haven't talked to her since.

I would try to talk them out of breeding anything and I wouldn't take a puppy.  Sure, I'd have a hard time if I actually saw one, but no.

The other thing I noticed is people mentioning, it's not like the puppy is from a puppy mill--well, in my eyes, whats the difference--it shouldn't be happening.

I also think a lot of people that breed their own dogs are people who can't really afford a dog and this is a cheap way to get one.  Or, they aren't in a place in life where they should have a pet and this way nobody is going to question them.

UGH one of my teachers used to breed her dog because the puppies brought in good money! And she was bragging about it to me and the class. She also showed me how her parents bred Newfies and kept them outside all year round and nad lots or litters a years or something like that. She said thier fur kept them protected from teh weather. 0.o Its crazy.

For some reason everyone who lets two purebred dogs mate is automaticaly classifyed themselves as a professional breeder. XP

Well if someone I knew mentioned they were thinking about breeding their dogs I would bring up the reasons why I don't think it is wise.  I would not be getting one of the puppies because I don't impulsively get animals just because someone I know suddenly has some animal they are looking to get rid of for free/cheap. 

 That being said, I can understand why a lot of people are driven to want to breed their dogs and carry on a line of an animal they love.  Most people don't look at making babies for any species to be rocket science.  What if we held the dog breeding standards in terms of human babies?  How many people look at their genetics and make sure they don't have any defects in their family line or choose their mate on not only personality but genetics when reproducing?  At the same time there are also thousands of human children who are homeless only they have no one to put them humanly to sleep but often die on the streets of disease and starvation.  One could ask what makes a family who selfishly wants to have a kid any different than someone who wants to breed their pet dog?

IrishSetterGrl

what do you think of it? If someone you knew well enough was planning to unprofessionally and irresponsibly breed his/her dogs, would you try to persuade them not to? Would you see any issue with receiving one of the pups? I'm just asking this because a recent situation led me to sincerely question the beliefs of some on ethical breeding and rescuing...

Yes I would. Breeding a mixed female with a mixed male no I think not.

Krissim Klaw

 That being said, I can understand why a lot of people are driven to want to breed their dogs and carry on a line of an animal they love.  Most people don't look at making babies for any species to be rocket science.  What if we held the dog breeding standards in terms of human babies?  How many people look at their genetics and make sure they don't have any defects in their family line or choose their mate on not only personality but genetics when reproducing?  At the same time there are also thousands of human children who are homeless only they have no one to put them humanly to sleep but often die on the streets of disease and starvation.  One could ask what makes a family who selfishly wants to have a kid any different than someone who wants to breed their pet dog?

Well...typically as humans we have one child at a time, not 9 or 11.  We keep our own children as a rule as well.  I also know a few people that will not have children due to genetic issues in thier family.  But I do believe that people, when choosing to breed...lol...have a baby, should plan it out first.

I've tried talking them out of it, never works.     Most people I've encountered who've got it in their heads to breed their dog believe strongly in their dog's special characteristics and feel an overwhelming need to multiply those.  But here's what I won't do.  I won't buy one of these dogs, I won't take a free one and I won't contribute money in any way to a person or enterprise doing this type of breeding.

The training place that Woobie and I went to initially for his obedience training was marketing "Einstein puppies".     They were lab/pit mixes (intentionally bred) and for $600 you got the puppy who had been through their "boot camp" and could sit, down, come, stay and had been taught to stay on a spot forever. Whoopeee!!!  Wowzers!!!  I didn't find out about these pups until about 3/4 the way through a 6 month training contract when I drove up and saw a huge piece of plywood with the sign on it along the road.  It really turned me off.  THEN one of these "Einstein puppies" joined the class.....   This dog was so incredibly aggressive towards other dogs, she would turn and bite her owner while trying to attack the other dogs in the class.  Wow, great breeding and training program you got there dude!  I was already having some issues with how the trainer relied on pinch collars and taught agility in ways I learned (from reading boards like these) was wrong, so I really didn't go back.  Lots of other things in my life happened around the same time, so it was easy to just make excuses for not going back.  I would talk alot about rescue and how I would always go rescue from now on, and they'd always talk about their rescues (they had a couple pit rescues) but I never fully confronted them about the breeding.  At that point of time, I'd just acquired Indie and I was feeling pretty disgusted with dog world people in general and just didn't have the energy or passion in me to do it.  I won't be going back, I won't recommend their training and I won't use their kennel for boarding.

I don't think you should breed unless your dog is from champion lines, you are involved in your breed club, be it for working dogs, or conformation, etc., you should be involved in the health and welfare of the breed and actively involved in some activity involving the breed, even if it's showing for conformation.  That way there are outside sources, familiar with the breed, evaluating and judging your dog.  Your dog should have reached some level of accomplishment within its breed, as in champion or rising in levels of competition, etc and should be at least 2 years or older before its bred.

I could go on about the type of contract a breeder should require of its buyers and the type of education about the breed it should engage in with buyers, but I've gone over that recently in another thread.

Breeding for kicks is bad, mmm kay?  LOL  

Krissim Klaw

That being said, I can understand why a lot of people are driven to want to breed their dogs and carry on a line of an animal they love.  Most people don't look at making babies for any species to be rocket science. 

Oh my I would have loved to have had a pup from all the the female dogs that I have owned mixed and purebred. Molly comes to my mind right now. I had her spayed and all the others because they should not have been bred even the purebreds. They were the best family dogs a person would ever want but.

I must walk softly here so now I shall go away for now at least.

If the person in question wanted my input, I would say that I thought it was a bad idea, and why.

Otherwise, I would mind my own business. I'm not one for evangelizing, except on internet message boards.  

 I'll just say that to breed a dog just to replicate it's "special" characteristics, or to try to alter it's temperament or whatever, doesn't sit well for me.  It would seem more logical to just get a shelter dog in that case.  And it can be hard because many people think their dog is the ultimate, and have so much pride in the dog that they see no reason NOT to breed.  And that's where it can be hard to educate people on unwanted litters, because there's usually pride (or dollar signs in terrible cases) in the way.

I had an experience at work where a co-worker told me all about how she used to breed her female husky because the pups would sell for at least $500 dollars a pup.  I think she expected me to be thrilled, since I'm a dog lover.  Not so much.  She then challenged the fact that I spayed Honor, seeing as how I could have gotten more money a pup because of her rarer breed.

I have a problem with it. I also have a problem with people breeding lesser than quality purebreds. Most people don't listen and don't care though, i've noticed.

RidgebackGermansShep

I have a problem with it. I also have a problem with people breeding lesser than quality purebreds. Most people don't listen and don't care though, i've noticed.

Yep, that's been my experience too.  That's why I'd rather try to influence the demand rather than the supply by educating people I come in contact with about the great dogs in shelters/rescue and what makes a bad purchase, such as puppy stores, and how to find a really good breeder if they're he!! bent on getting the breed they want.  I'm happy to report that 3 puppy mill puppies did NOT get purchased and 2 pound kitties found homes as a result of my daughter educating her friends about where the cute puppies at the pet store really came from.  PETAs videos helped tremendously!